


What will the sunrise bring?

by Squeakylemons



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/F, I just want my bbs to be happy together, hubert is in there for like a second
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-14
Updated: 2019-08-14
Packaged: 2020-08-23 09:11:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20240389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Squeakylemons/pseuds/Squeakylemons
Summary: Byleth can't sleep so she goes to the training grounds. There she finds Edelgard, who also can't sleep. Convenient.





	What will the sunrise bring?

It was late, but Byleth couldn’t sleep. It wasn’t the dreams that were keeping her up this time, but a certain student and friend. She couldn’t figure out what about that woman made her feel feelings she never thought she would ever possess. Her face, her voice, her everything kept Byleth up at night. Not every night mind you. Some nights, dreams of after the war, where they are together, chase away the nightmares of the Immaculate One incinerating everything she’s ever loved. But on nights like tonight, Byleth couldn’t get Edelgard, and everything that could go wrong, off her mind. So instead of lying in her bed, tossing and turning for the majority of the night, Byleth decided to go train.

She changed into her gear, grabbed a practice sword, and headed to the training grounds. She passed numerous cats, all refusing to be pet, but not another soul crossed her path. As she neared the training grounds, she was relieved to hear silence. She was grateful for the lack of company. Too many a night she found herself out and about, wanting alone time, only to run into a student or another member of faculty. Not that she didn’t appreciate, like, and even love some of the people she fought alongside with, but sometimes she just wanted alone time and no questions asked. She gripped her sword tight in one hand, eyes latched onto a dummy, and proceeded to drown her thoughts of a certain emperor.

She had practiced for at least an hour, sweat dripped down her face causing her eyes to sting. She reached for a towel to wipe her face off, but realized she forgot one. She grumbled to herself and tried to use the sleeve of her shirt, but was too damp with sweat.

“Here professor,” a familiar voice said from the entrance of the arena. Byleth jumped back a bit. The voice chuckled softly. “Sorry to have scared you. I should have announced myself sooner.” Edelgard advanced from the shadows into the moonlit area holding a tattered hand towel. She looked much different tonight than in the waking world. Her attire didn’t scream emperor. For one she wasn’t wearing her crown. She was wearing shorts similar to the ones she wore before the fateful battle that lost Byleth five years of her life, but no tights. Her legs shinned brightly under the touch of the moon. Her shirt was a simple red long-sleeved, form-fitting shirt. Byleth attempted, and succeeded for the most part, to avoid staring at the beauty that was before her.

“This thing has seen better days,” Byleth commented as she took the towel from Edelgard. She wiped her face off. “I’ll wash it and give it back if that’s ok,” Byleth said as she got ready to toss it on the bench next to them.

“No need professor.” Edelgard took the towel from Byleth, their hands touched for a moment. Edelgard paused for a second, a blush forming across her cheeks. It took all of Byleth’s willpower to keep a straight face and not comment. “Anyways,” Edelgard said with a high pitched voice, “what are you doing training so late at night?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” Byleth countered.

“Sleep seems to elude me,” Edelgard said simply. Byleth paused.

“I could say the same.”

“You could? Or you are?”

“I am,” Byleth said a short pause later. They stood in silence for a moment, just looking at the other.

“Can I join you? Or are you planning on heading back?” Edelgard asked.

“I can train for a while longer.” Byleth was conflicted. Though Byleth enjoyed her alone time, especially on nights like tonight, if she were to pick someone to spend them with, it would be Edelgard. However, Edelgard was the very thing keeping Byleth from sleeping.

Byleth watched as Edelgard placed the towel and a jug on the bench. Then Edelgard bent down to lace up one of her boots. Byleth was unaware she was staring until Edelgard stood back up and locked eyes with her.

“Something the matter professor?”

“No, nothing.” Lie.

“Okay then, let’s get to work.”

Sparing with a person was a lot different from sparing with a training dummy. A person actually strikes back. They actually think and react to your movements. It wasn’t long before Byleth was drenched even more with sweat. Edelgard was no better. Her white hair stuck to her face and neck. Byleth could see the sweat roll down Edelgard’s legs. Byleth was noticing all this at the entirely wrong moment. In a swift motion, so swift Byleth couldn’t process what happened, she was lying on her back, the wind completely knocked out of her. She took slow, shallow breaths and tried to sit up.

“You really should pay more attention professor,” Edelgard said while offering a hand. Byleth gladly took it. With a little help, Byleth was back on her feet, only thing wounded was her image, not that she cared too much about that.

“Sorry, there’s just a lot on my mind,” Byleth said absentmindedly.

“Oh, like what?” Edelgard asked, voice touched with curiosity. Byleth mentally cursed herself. She loved talking with Edelgard, but talking with Edelgard about Edelgard was probably a poor way to go.

“It’s nothing,” Byleth tried to brush it off.

“It doesn’t seem like nothing. You’ve been off this whole time. If this were battle you would be dead. And I can’t-” Edelgard cut her little rant short, mouth hanging open, expression unreadable.

“And you can’t what?” Byleth pried. Edelgard opens and closes her mouth a few times, no words coming out. Her skin gleams under the gentle light of the moon. And once again, Byleth is taken aback by her beauty. Byleth pales in comparison to the emperor in so many ways. Who is she kidding? She is nothing more than the emperor’s teacher. So what if she died? She didn’t have anyone special to her that would care.

Before her thoughts spiraled any further, she felt a body slam against hers and two arms pull her in for a tight hug.

“And I can’t lose you!” Edelgard practically screamed into Byleth’s shoulder. “Not again. I can’t lose you again.” Byleth felt a liquid substance run down her arm. She thought it just sweat at first, but then it  
became more powerful. Edelgard cried against Byleth. After a frozen moment, Byleth wrapped one of her arms around the other woman’s waist and stroked her hair with her other hand.

“I’m sorry,” Byleth whispered into Edelgard’s hair. “I didn’t realize my absence was hard for you.”

“Hard? You think it was hard?” Edelgard said, pulling back to look at Byleth’s face. Her eyes shinned with tears of anger, sadness, and something Byleth couldn’t read. “It wasn’t hard. It was nearly impossible. I had lost the one thing I was fighting for. All those years without you, I fought as an empty shell. I was fighting for a cause sure, but I didn’t expect to live once I finished what I had started.” She paused. “Without you, I couldn’t see a reason to live.”

Byleth stared in shock. Not knowing what to say. Not knowing what to do. And in an instance, Edelgard’s face changed from anger to horror.

“Oh goddess what have I done?” Edelgard whispered to herself. She turned around and quickly headed towards the exit. Byleth thankfully snapped out of her daze in time to grab Edelgard’s hand and turn her back around.

“What do you-” Edelgard started, but was cut off by a pair of lips, Byleth’s lips to be precise. Edelgard stood ridged against the kiss for a moment. And in that moment, Byleth thought she was wrong. This wasn’t what Edelgard wanted. She ruined a friendship all because she couldn’t keep her feelings to herself.

But then that moment was over, and Edelgard was kissing back with what seemed like all the strength and passion she could muster. Byleth could only keep up. In a matter of minutes, they were an out of breath mess. They broke apart panting. Their foreheads leaned against the other’s, arms wrapped tightly around waists and shoulders, tears streamed down cheeks. Byleth opened her eyes to see gray eyes peer into her green. Byleth wiped away Edelgard’s tears with the pad of her thumb. Edelgard laughed.

“How silly it must seem to see an emperor crying.” Edelgard quickly brought a hand up to wipe away her own tears.

“I wouldn’t say silly,” Byleth whispered. Edelgard paused, hand mid-wipe.

“What would you say?” Edelgard asked hesitantly.

“I would say blessed.”

The sun started to peer over the top of the arena. Edelgard pulled Byleth by the hand out of the arena before any prying eyes wandered upon them. She led them through back alleyways in the shadows. Byleth didn’t realize where they were headed until they had already reached their destination- Edelgard’s private quarters. Edelgard pulled Byleth into in her bed. She laid down but, Byleth, still sitting up, opened her mouth but was cut short.

“Before you say anything, I just want to go to sleep with you.” Edelgard paused looking down. “I…I haven’t been sleeping well. I keep having nightmares. Nightmares where I lose you again.” She looked up at Byleth with vulnerable eyes. “Please, lay down with me?”

“Okay,” Byleth replied softly before easing herself into a lying position next to Edelgard. Their noses brushed up against each other’s slightly due to the small bed. It was tight, but it was perfect. After a moment of repositioning, they were soon comfortable in each other’s embrace, and within moments, both were sound asleep.

When Hubert came to make a report to the emperor a few hours later, he found Edelgard sleeping with her head resting on Byleth’s chest. Both women in deep, yet peaceful slumber.  


“About time,” he muttered before turning back and making a quiet exit.

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, how are we pronouncing Byleth? Bi-leth? Bee-leth? Something else entirely??


End file.
